Iovenko



March 17, 1964 M. lOVENKO 3,124,825 Q NAIL POLISH REMOVER Filed May 8, 1962 5 BY Z -lNVEgTOR I 6% MM wk,

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Ofilice 3,124,825 Patented Mar. 17, 1964 This invention relates to a solvent for lacquers and the like. More particularly, it concerns a novel mixture in liquid form specifically adapted to remove nail polish from the nails.

The most common nail polish remover now in use is acetone, and a wide variety of commercial preparations adapted to accomplish this function are based on acetone as the primary polish solvent contained therein. These commercial polish removers also usually include soapytype oils in addition to acetone. Conventional acetonebased solvents, however, are generally highly inflammable, and inflammable nail polish removers are not only obviously inherently dangerous, but are subject to shipping restrictions which increase the packaging costs and reduce the convenience and attractiveness of the packaging. For example, acetone-based nail polish removers must generally be shipped in glass or metal containers. Packaging in glass or metal has eliminated from the scope of prospective packaging materials that type of container which is most admirably suited to hold a nail polish remover, name ly, a throw-away package which contains an applicator saturated with enough polish remover for a typical use.

It is therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel nail polish remover which is relatively non-flammable.

It is another object of this invention to provide a singleuse, disposable package including a container drawing positioned therewithin an applicator with enough polish remover impregnated therein to remove the polish from all the nails of a user.

According to the present invention, the new nail polish remover is a liquid which contains a major portion of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether. Minor portions of methyl salicylate and butyl acetate are also advantageously utilized, and small quantities of lanolin and castor oil may likewise be included in the formula. Preferably the monomethyl ether comprises more than 80 percent of the liquid.

Because the nail polish remover according to this invention is relatively non-flammable, it can be contained in a disposable package together with an applicator suitable for applying a predetermined amount of the polish remover to the nails. Together the applicator, polish remover and container form a package which is preferably heat sealed. Breaking the heat seal provides access to the applicator, which is a fibrous material such as cotton or a textile saturated with polish remover. After use, the applicator may be returned to its container and the whole discarded.

As stated, the primary ingredient in the new nail polish remover is the monomethyl ether of ethylene glycol, which is commercially available under the mark, Methyl Cellosolve, and which is utilized to dissolve nitrocellulose lacquers in the nail polish. Both the methyl salicylate and the butyl acetate are used as solvents for cellulose derivatives. Of these three components, the ethylene glycol monomethyl ether is present in an amount which is at least 50 percent of the total weight of polish remover, and preferably more than 80 percent thereof. The methyl salicylate and butyl acetate each constitute about 2 to 8 percent of the liquid, preferably about percent each. Lanolin and castor oil are present as bodying agents and softeners. They each preferably comprise about 0.5 to 5 percent, say 2 percent of the total liquid.

A specific example of a preferred nail polish remover. according to my invention is as follows, percentages being by weight:

Percent Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether 86 Methyl salicylate 5 Butyl acetate 5 Lanolin 2 Castor oil 2 The package of this invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part hereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the package;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 with the package open at one end;

FIG. 3 is a verticalsectional view along line 33 of FIG. 2, and 1 FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the applicator removed from the pouch.

Referring now to the drawing, and in particular to FIGS. 1 to 3. thereof, the package 16. consists of a flexible pouch 11 heat sealed at its free edges to form an envelope which seals material contained therein from contact with liquids or gases. Within pouch 11 is an applicator 12 saturated with the nail polish remover described hereinbefore.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pouch 11 comprises opposed outer plies 13 and 14 formed from a heatsealable material such as polyethylene. Inner plies 15 and 16 are also made from heat-scalable material, e.g. cellophane, and are in direct contact with the applicator 12. Positioned between outer ply 13 and inner ply 15, and outer ply 14 and inner ply 16, respectively, are intermediate plies 17 and 18, whose primary function is to block passage of the nail polish remover from the applicator 12 to the surfaces of the package 10. For this reason, intermediate plies 17 and 18 are formed, in this preferred embodiment, from aluminum foil. Foil plies 17 and 13 are bonded to the plies on either side of them over their entire surfaces. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, each pair of plies 13 and 14, 15 and 1 6, and 17 and 18 is formed from a single sheet of ply material. This material is folded at one end 19 of the pouch, and the free edges which form the other three edges of the rectangular pouch are then heat sealed.

Positioned within the pouch 11 and in contact with inner plies 15 and 16 thereof is an applicator 12. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, applicator 12 is a tubular roll of fibrous material, namely absorbent cotton, which is self-rolled to the shape or configuration shown in FIG. 4. The roll is absorbent of the polish remover and at least a quantity of the remover sufficient to remove that quantity of polish dissolved from the nails during an average use is held by the applicator 12.

When the nail polish remover according to the present invention is to be applied to the nails of the fingers and/or toes of a person to remove polish therefrom, the package is opened at that end where the free edges have been heat-sealed together. With the plies pulled apart after tearing or cutting so that access to applicator 12 is provided, the applicator is removed and forced against the nails to scrub the nails with the polish remover. After use, the soiled applicator will preferably be reinserted in the pouch 11 and the entire package 10 discarded.

The tubular cotton roll may be pressure shaped and self wound or rolled, as shown in FIGURE 4; it may also comprise a pressure shaped and/or self wound absorbent cotton core enveloped in a flexible hollow textile tube, such as woven cotton, or cotton gauze, serving to form a casing therefor.

It will be apparent that certain alterations and modifications in the nail polish remover and method described hereinbefore, and the package described and illustrated herein, will be obvious to those skilled in this art. All such obvious alterations and modifications are desired to be included within the purview of this invention, which is to be limited only by the scope of the following, appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An article for removing nail polish comprising a fibrous material impregnated with a liquid solution containing more than 80 percent ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, and 2 to 8 percent each of methyl salicylate and butyl acetate.

2. An article for removing nail polish comprising a tubular roll of fibrous material impregnated with a liquid containing more than 80 percent ethylene glycol monomethyl ether and 2 to 8 percent each of methyl salicylate and butyl acetate.

3. An article for removing nail polish comprising a tubular roll of fibrous material impregnated with a liquid containing more than 80 percent ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, 2 to 8 percent each of methyl salicylate and butyl acetate, and 0.5 to 5 percent each of lanolin and castor oil.

4. An article for removing nail polish comprising a tubular roll of absorbent material impregnated with a liquid solution containing 86 percent ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, 5 percent methyl salicylate, 5 percent butyl acetate, 2 percent lanolin and 2 percent castor oil.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,618,481 Shipley et al Feb. 22, 1927 1,644,420 Davidson Oct. 4, 1927 1,878,102 Bradley Sept. 20, 1932 2,032,042 Bishop Feb. 25, 1936 2,197,630 Carter Apr. 16, 1940 2,286,687 Ochs June 16, 1942 2,351,195 Dreyling June 13, 1944 2,393,864 Francisco Jan. 29, 1946 2,689,561 Posnack et al. Sept. 21, 1954 2,825,696 Zabban et a1 Mar. 4, 1958 2,895,844 Bader et al July 21, 1959 2,971,920 Wurmbock et al Feb. 14, 1961 2,999,265 Duane et al Sept. 12, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 656,264 Great Britain Aug. 15, 1951 874,933 Great Britain Aug. 16, 1961 OTHER REFERENCES 0 lished by D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., New York, 1953 (p.

548 relied on). (Copy in Scientific Library.) 

1. AN ARTICLE FOR REMOVING NAIL POLISH COMPRISING A FIBROUS MATERIAL IMPREGNATED WITH A LIQUID SOLUTION CONTAINING MORE THAN 80 PERCENT ETHYLENE GLUCOL MONOMETHYL ETHER, AND 2 TO 8 PERCENT EACH OF METHYL SALICYLATE AND BUTYL ACETATE. 